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The Cultured Cook is an amazing resource for making your own fermented foods. The book delves into the importance of including fermented foods in your diet, along with a list of health benefits, an explanation of what exactly a microbiome is (hint: it’s the system of microbes in the gut), and tips on boosting the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Fermenting foods at home as always seemed a little scary to me. Will the food go bad? Will I have exploding jars in my kitchen? Do I have to spend a ton of money on equipment? The Cultured Cook has put my mind at ease, because Michelle Schoffro Cook explains just how easy and inexpensive it actually is. In most of the recipes, you just need a simple starter, which can be a probiotic capsule or easy-to-make rejuvelac, a glass bowl, and a few ingredients. It really can’t get any easier than that!

Within the pages of The Cultured Cook, you’ll find recipes for vegan yogurts, non-dairy cheeses, vinegars, komucha, pickels, sauerkraut, and more. Michelle has also included recipes for using these delicious cultured creations, such as dips, cheesecakes, and ice creams. She includes tips and helpful information throughout the book.

There are so many recipes that look so easy throughout the book, and I really have no excuse to continue to buy foods like yogurt and komucha. The big problem I had was deciding what to start with! Should I make sauerkraut? Maybe some kimchi? In the end, I settled on Aged Miso Cheese. It’s super simple and I already had all of the ingredients on hand. I have my cashews fermenting as I type this.

I have a few other books on fermenting foods at home, but none of them are plant-based, so I’m happy to have this vegan cookbook as part of my library. It’s an absolute must-have for anyone who wants to make cultured foods at home!

There are many types of starter cultures that can be used in plant-based cheese making. Miso is one of my favorites. Its mild, naturally aged, rich, slightly nutty flavor beautifully lends itself to aged plant-based cheeses. I recently started a new holiday tradition in which I begin making this cheese at the beginning of December. Once the initial culturing process is done, I form the cheese block, rub it with sea salt, and set it on a wire mesh rack in a cool space to allow it to ferment for the remaining days until Christmas Eve. Then Curtis and I enjoy a beautiful holiday cheese platter with this cheese as the star. With three weeks of aging time, it develops a firm texture and a sharp taste that is delightful with pomegranate arils (seeds), mandarin oranges, walnut halves, and figs, making it the perfect Christmas cheese and a wonderful, unique holiday tradition in our home.

Author: Michelle Schoffro Cook

Yield: 1 medium-size block

Ingredients

2 cups raw, unsalted cashews

1 cup filtered water

1 tablespoon dark miso

3 teaspoons unrefined sea salt, divided

½ cup coconut oil

Instructions

In a glass or ceramic bowl with a lid, combine the cashews, water, and miso, and stir until they are combined. Cover and let sit for twenty-four hours.

Pour the cultured cashews into a blender. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt as well as the oil, and blend until smooth. You may need to push the ingredients down with a spatula a few times to ensure a creamy, smooth consistency.

Pour the cheese mixture into a cheesecloth-lined bowl that is the shape you’d like the finished cheese to be. Refrigerate for four to six hours, or until it is firm. Remove the cheese from the bowl, and peel away the cheesecloth.

Gently rub the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt over the full surface of the cheese, including the bottom. Carefully place it on a wire rack in a cool, dark, and undisturbed place, and allow the cheese to air-dry for seven to twenty-eight days, or longer if desired. After you have aged the cheese, refrigerate and serve, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one month.

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About Dianne

Dianne Wenz is the Editor-In-Chief for Chic Vegan. She is a Holistic Health Counselor, Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Plant-Based Nutrition Specialist. Dianne coaches people from across the country to help them improve their health and wellbeing, and she helps people make the dietary and lifestyle changes needed to go vegan. Dianne lives in New Jersey, where she runs the busy MeetUp group Montclair Vegans. Through the group she hosts monthly potlucks, runs charity bake sales and organizers guest speaker events. An avid cook and baker, Dianne also teaches cooking classes to local clients. In addition to food and nutrition, Dianne loves crafts and cats. To learn more, visit Dianne’s website and blog at Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

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